Lots of talk before this game about what Danny will do in the off season and the consensus was to buy out Paul and shop KG ...

My two cents: I think with Rondo returning, we will be a much better team. What we've seen with Rondo out is that Avery, Jeff and Brandon are all really solid ROLE players. None of these guys will be able to lead a team. Rondo can. Paul can no longer handle the ball and run the team. Rondo is that player.

What we need this offseason: Avery needs to refocus on his defense, his off the ball movement on offense and his spot up shooting. Jeff needs to learn how to go left. Jeff also needs to learn how to kick the ball out to the corner or top of the key on a drive. Look at LeBron, he is so good cause he can get to the basket, teams collapse, he kicks out. I think that it is evident that Jeff has that ability to get to the hoop and score off of many angles and draw the foul, The last piece of his game is passing, the ability to kick it out to Avery or Jordan I the corner, or Paul on the top of the key. As for Paul, he needs to be in a position where he initiates offense off the dribble only a few possessions a game. He can't be handling theall this much.Rondo will help that.

Rebounding (defensive) has killed us and we need to improve in that area in order for our defense to be affective. I think Jared will help us immensly with that. He has a knack for the ball and looks to get his own on offense.

Guards: I think Doc trusts JET, and JET has what it takes to be effective next year. The decision with Rondo coming back is what to do with the other guys. I think Crawford stays as he is a shot maker, high energy, buying into the defense (can be a really decent 6 or 7th man). We need a backup point, so I think that Williams is a solid cheap option. Odd man out is Lee. I think he is packaged with someone else in possibly a sign and trade for the missing piece:

The final piece is shot blocking. I don't know that Melo will b developed enough next year. Unfortunately I think Wilcox is gone. We need a shot blocker in the paint to come off the bench or pair with Kevin. We are weak playing Brandon at the 5 and you're really hurting his value. I'm not sure who we go after, or if we have the money.

The one thing I don't want to see is a huge amount of change for the sake of change. If Rondo is looking good to come back over the summer, I think Danny needs to stick with what was clearly a two year extension of the big 3 era. Let's give it another shot. We had the pieces, we needed a year for the new guys to gel and I think we can get off to a much better start next year so that we are in a position for the 2 or 3 spot.

IMO the Celtics would have a great chance at competing for the title next year if KG and Pierce return but DA has got to get better talent. I remember hearing Greg Anthony saying on ESPN a few years ago how teams draft based on their image, what defines them. He stated that Boston was a defensive team that picked up players that fit their image. Well, DA strayed from that. Sullinger and Rondo will be back next year. Jeff Green will hopefully realize just how good he is. If DA can bring some bigs on board that can play I would really Boston's chances.

I wish that DA would go back and study the team that won number 17 to see why it was so successful. He put together a team that was awesome defensively and offensively, it rebounded, it intimidated opposing players from trying to attack Boston's interior, it could spread the floor offensively just as it could attack the interior, it come at you in waves with a rotation that could go 12 deep easily, it had a great collection of role players. It is just as important to know why you are successful as knowing why you are unsuccessful.

I understand the salary cap observation. But what are the moves to be made if salary cap space was availabale? How will teh Celts become contenders again? They have to draft and develop talent. That is not a salary cap issue.

i think the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. danny has had years and years to assemble impressive supporting casts and never did it once. we were always naked or last second patching a position or two positions....

does anyone really expect old dan-o to "get it" at the point guard and center positions and MANAGE doc to do something more than ADDHD lineup shuffling for 78 games before deciding on a lineup finally?

"shop KG"- get rid of KG. KG is not worth the time of day at 11 million dollars on an OLD TEAM that you are trying to trick into a contender. KG should have shot Danny out of the saddle at 11M and insisted on only signing for 2 million MAX- the guy has pocketed 350 million on salary only, not including endorsements. he should have worked for next to nothing this year and then we could have gotten a real 5 and some 1 back up. instead, you get what you see- just KG and no backup for rondo.

If we had signed K Mart and a dead eye shooter (Reddick)we would be making some serious noise...This was possible...

it was all possible. danny sat around like a dead fish and watched k-mart and bird man go by and be signed by others. as well as other moves that could have been made that were not.

this has become standard fare for the celtics- assemble an inadequate roster, repulse one or two players off of it that could have been useful and then play dead at the trade deadline or throw in some USEFUL pieces who were booking negligible salary on deals (ERDEN, ROBINSON) and just dump them when you DO make the rare trade deadline move

"shop KG"- get rid of KG. KG is not worth the time of day at 11 million dollars on an OLD TEAM that you are trying to trick into a contender. KG should have shot Danny out of the saddle at 11M and insisted on only signing for 2 million MAX- the guy has pocketed 350 million on salary only, not including endorsements. he should have worked for next to nothing this year and then we could have gotten a real 5 and some 1 back up. instead, you get what you see- just KG and no backup for rondo.

get rid of KG. it's over

I agree with you and have posted similar thoughts on many other threads. Most Celtics fans believe that KG is being paid a reasonable amount. If he really wanted to give the Celtics the chance to compete this year he would have agreed to resign with the Celtics for $2 million as you stated above. This would have given the Celtics the cap space to sign another 5. I also agree with you that he doesn't need the money. Shaq did it a few years ago when he signed with the Celtics and wasn't being paid a lot but just wanted a chance to play for another championship.

the longer PP starts at the 3, the longer jeff green's growth will be slowed. green's a natural 3 and should be starting there. end of story. in green, rondo and bradley we have three very nice starters at the 1-2-3. admittedly, neither rondo or bradley has a deadly outside shot. if we could get a true 2-guard, bradley can come off the bench at the 1 or the 2. that might actually be ideal.

as i said, green should start a the 3. will sully be ready to start at the 4? i hope so. if not, we might need a 1-year band-aid starter at the 4 while sully hopefully picks up his development where it left off before the surgery. enter KG?

and, obviously, we badly need a true 5. so all that said, it seems we need starting-caliber players at the 2 and the 5 this off-season. that should be danny's goal. i love paul pierce, but i don't see how his presence on this team helps us going forward, unless he's willing to come off the bench. even if he were willing to do that, i'm not sure that green needs to be looking over his shoulder at a boston legend like paul. no, the best for everyone, hard as it may be to accept, is that paul moves on. as stated above, KG may prove useful for one more year as a mentor for sully.

Lots of talk before this game about what Danny will do in the off season and the consensus was to buy out Paul and shop KG ...

My two cents: I think with Rondo returning, we will be a much better team. What we've seen with Rondo out is that Avery, Jeff and Brandon are all really solid ROLE players. None of these guys will be able to lead a team. Rondo can. Paul can no longer handle the ball and run the team. Rondo is that player.

What we need this offseason: Avery needs to refocus on his defense, his off the ball movement on offense and his spot up shooting. Jeff needs to learn how to go left. Jeff also needs to learn how to kick the ball out to the corner or top of the key on a drive. Look at LeBron, he is so good cause he can get to the basket, teams collapse, he kicks out. I think that it is evident that Jeff has that ability to get to the hoop and score off of many angles and draw the foul, The last piece of his game is passing, the ability to kick it out to Avery or Jordan I the corner, or Paul on the top of the key. As for Paul, he needs to be in a position where he initiates offense off the dribble only a few possessions a game. He can't be handling theall this much.Rondo will help that.

Rebounding (defensive) has killed us and we need to improve in that area in order for our defense to be affective. I think Jared will help us immensly with that. He has a knack for the ball and looks to get his own on offense.

Guards: I think Doc trusts JET, and JET has what it takes to be effective next year. The decision with Rondo coming back is what to do with the other guys. I think Crawford stays as he is a shot maker, high energy, buying into the defense (can be a really decent 6 or 7th man). We need a backup point, so I think that Williams is a solid cheap option. Odd man out is Lee. I think he is packaged with someone else in possibly a sign and trade for the missing piece:

The final piece is shot blocking. I don't know that Melo will b developed enough next year. Unfortunately I think Wilcox is gone. We need a shot blocker in the paint to come off the bench or pair with Kevin. We are weak playing Brandon at the 5 and you're really hurting his value. I'm not sure who we go after, or if we have the money.

The one thing I don't want to see is a huge amount of change for the sake of change. If Rondo is looking good to come back over the summer, I think Danny needs to stick with what was clearly a two year extension of the big 3 era. Let's give it another shot. We had the pieces, we needed a year for the new guys to gel and I think we can get off to a much better start next year so that we are in a position for the 2 or 3 spot.

Put the pipe down. There is no contending in 14. Need to move on and blow it up.

I agree with you and have posted similar thoughts on many other threads. Most Celtics fans believe that KG is being paid a reasonable amount. If he really wanted to give the Celtics the chance to compete this year he would have agreed to resign with the Celtics for $2 million as you stated above. This would have given the Celtics the cap space to sign another 5. I also agree with you that he doesn't need the money. Shaq did it a few years ago when he signed with the Celtics and wasn't being paid a lot but just wanted a chance to play for another championship.

the only other thing that i would have to add is that pierce at 15 million is yet another disaster to the salary cap and chances to throw together a CONTENDER roster, rather than a rost of "doing it with mirrors" with incompetents and wash outs from china.